I have attempted numerous whole chicken recipes in some form of pressure cooker, crockpot, or air fryer for several years. They never turn out the way I’d hoped. Pressure cooked whole chicken is just a slimy mess of a thing. Slow cooked is not much better, and straight air frying has been less than desirable as well. This weekend I roasted a chicken in my Ninja Foodi, and the results were fantastic.
It’s hard to believe that you can get a crispy-skinned, flavorful, and juicy chicken roasted in under an hour, but the Foodi delivered. Like I said, I have tried many recipes in the past that just didn’t quite get the results that I wanted. For this outing, I borrowed bits and pieces from a handful of recipes to get the desired result.
The big difference maker was pressure cooking the chicken just long enough to get it cooked through before it falls apart. This made the bird quite juicy without turning the skin slimy like I’ve gotten in the past. There are several recipes on the inner webs that call for plain water in the cooker for this. I used a very flavorful broth made from hot water and Better Than Bouillon. This added way more flavor to the meat of the chicken than just water alone.
To keep this a heart healthy recipe, I added a few glugs of Italian herb flavored olive oil to the baste. I think this was an even tastier option, and the bonus was I didn’t have to use as much butter.
Heart Healthy Air Fryer Roast Chicken Recipe
Course: MainCuisine: American, MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes45
minutesIngredients
1 whole organic chicken (4 lbs)
1 cup of hot water
1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon
1-2 tablespoons of your favorite Italian Seasoning (I used FlavorGod)
2 tablespoons Italian Herb flavored olive oil
1 tablespoon of grass fed butter
1 tablespoon Italian Herb flavored olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Dry chicken completely with paper towels, then cover with olive oil to help the seasonings to stick to the skin. Season inside and outside of chicken with the Flavor God, making sure to rub into the skin for an even coating.
- Whisk the hot water and Better Than Bouillon together, making sure there are no clumps. You can also do this in a blender if you prefer. Pour mixture into the main pot of your Ninja Foodi.
- Place the chicken breast side up into the Ninja’s inner basket and place inside the main pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter and add the next 4 ingredients. Mix well. You will use this mixture to baste the top of the chicken.
- Once the 15 minutes have expired, do a quick pressure release, remove the basket, and pour out the chicken broth.
- Return the main pot to the Foodi, and place the basket with chicken back inside.
- Set the Foodi to Air Crisp at 400 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes. Occasionally open the lid, and baste with the butter/oil mixture to get the skin to the color/crisp of your liking.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil until the breast temperature reads 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer.

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